The Botany of Iceland - 01.12.1942, Blaðsíða 139

THE PTERIDOPHYTA AND SPERMATOPHYTA OF ICELAND
137
63. Elymus arenarius Linn., Sp. pl. ed. I (1753) p. 83.
K. & M., 1770, p. 204.—Babington, 1871, p. 345.—Gronlund, Isl. Fl., 1881,
p. 122.—Stefánsson, Fl. tsL, ed. 1, 1901, p. 46.—Ibid., ed. 2, 1924, p. 54.—
C.H.O., Fl. arct., 1902, p. 134,—O. & Gr., 1934, p. 28.
Flora Dan. tab. 847, tab. 3003 (/3. villosus E.Mey.).
Icelandic: Melur, Melgras. Danish: Marehalm. English: Lyme-grass.
The Icelandic form of Elymus is rather low of growth and with the empty glurncs
more or less hairy, the flowering glumes being always rather densely hairy.
In Iceland this species grows not only on sea shores but also far inland. Thus it
is recorded from Hvannalindir on the northern side of Vatnajökull at a level of
about 2400' (c. 732 m) s. m. (A. & F., 1935, p. 409). In the sandy regions in the
vicinity of Grímsstaðir and Viðidalur in N. (D. 6) I saw large stretches of low
sand-dunes covered by Elymus, and with hardly any other vegetation. In Vestur
Skaftafellssýsla, too, it occurs abundantly, and here it has, up to recent times, been
harvested, the grains being used as food for man, the straw as fodder for cattle.
In Þingeyjarsýsla, on the islets in the inner part of Breiðifjörður, and in many other
places it is used for hay. In the 17th century Elymus was much used as a cereal
plant and even cultivated in several places.
Life-form: G.
On sand dunes both at the sea-coast and far inland, in inhabited places near the
sea-shore; sometimes in the home-fields and on the earthen walls and roofs of houses ;
even on dunghills (cp. H.J., 1899, p. 190).
Flor. VII—VIII; fr. mat. VIII.
Max. height: 82 cm ; average : 42 cm.
Geogr. area: Am.: Labrador to Alaska, southward to New York.—Greenl.: W.
60°—71°30'. E. 60°—63°32'.—Eur.: Fær.; E.S.I.; north and central Europe.—
Asia: Northern Asia.
Festuca duriuscula Linn.
K. & M., 1770, p. 204.—Babington, 1871, p. 344.—Gronlund, Isl. Fl., 1881, p. 132.
—Rostrup, 1887, p. 185.
This species was first recorded by König & Miiller, loc. cit., and entered in most
of the older lists; even Gronlund and Rostrup, loc. cit., include it. The specimens.
preserved in H.H. under this name are, however, F. ovina L.
Festuca heteroþhylla Linn.
Recorded by Preyer & Zirkel, 1862, p. 359, is evidently F. ovina L. var.
64. Festuca ovina Linn., Sp. pl. ed. I (1753) p. 73.
K. & M., 1770, p. 204.—F. ovina & F. viviþara Hooker, in Mackenzie, 1811,
p. 418.—F. ovina L., Babington, 1871, p. 344.—Gronlund, Isl. Fl., 1881,
p. 132.—Stefánsson, Fl. Isl., ed. 1, 1901, p. 57,—Ibid., ed. 2, 1924, p. 65.—
C.H.O., Fl. arct., 1902, p. 130,—O. & Gr., 1934, p. 26.
Flora Dan. tab. 2462 ; tab. 2043 (var. viviþara).
Icelandic: Sauðvingull. Danish: Faare-Svingel. English: Sheep’s Fescue-grass.
Very varying, but, as it seems, represented in Icel. almost exclusively by viviparous
forms, and the greater part of the specimens collected might be referred to F. vivi-